WSU student died while living out his faith

The widening danger of terrorism in the Middle East hit home in Wichita over the weekend with the news of the tragic death Friday of Abduljaleel Alarbash, an undergraduate at Wichita State University who was on a trip home to Saudi Arabia to be married. He died while volunteering as a security guard at a mosque, and as he and his cousin reportedly challenged an ISIS-linked suicide bomber disguised as a woman. They were hailed on social media as heroes for sparing many lives by preventing the bomber access to the mosque. Taben Azad, vice president of the Wichita State Muslim Student Association, made an important point about Alarbash’s life and death, telling USA Today: “He was not only doing his Muslim duties, but also his duties as a global citizen of the world by protecting those people at the mosque. His act is a genuine and, more importantly, a widespread characteristic of Muslims — we want to do the best we can to help all individuals and he did what he needed to do as a Muslim follower.” – Rhonda Holman